2014 NFL Combine - Players - The LB

[Saccopoo]

Linebackers:

Jeremiah Attaochu, Georgia Tech

Anthony Barr, UCLA

Lamin Barrow, LSU

Chris Borland, Wisconsin

Carl Bradford, Arizona State

Jonathan Brown, Illinois

Preston Brown, Louisville

Max Bullough, Michigan State

Khairi Fortt, California

Jeremiah George, Iowa State

Anthony Hitchens, Iowa

Adrian Hubbard, Alabama

Drew Jackson, Western Kentucky

Christian Jones, Florida State

Devon Kennard, USC

Chris Kirksey, Iowa

Boseko Lokombo, Oregon

Khalil Mack, Buffalo

James Morris, Iowa

C.J. Mosley, Alabama

Trent Murphy, Stanford

Kevin Pierre-Louis, Boston College

Ronald Powell, Florida

Trevor Reilly, Utah

Ryan Shazier, Ohio State

Prince Shembo, Notre Dame

Shayne Skov, Stanford

Yawin Smallwood, Connecticut

Telvin Smith, Florida State

Tyler Starr, South Dakota

Jordie Tripp, Montana

Uani' Unga, BYU

Kyle Van Noy, BYU

Avery Williamson, Kentucky

Jordan Zumwalt, UCLA

[RustShack]

Jeremiah George would be a nice late round pickup.

[OldSchool]

Wow, Khairi Fortt put up 30 reps with 33 5/8" arms. Very impressive for a linebacker with his arm length. Better than a lot of the OL & DL players.

[Wilson8]

I am looking forward to see how Tyler Starr does at the NFL combine. He is from Little Rock, Iowa and played college ball at South Dakota. Came into school as a safety but has become a 6'4", 250 lb OLB/DE. Chiefs might be interested in him as an OLB in the 6th round. I watched some videos of East West Shrine game practices and for a big guy, he moves more like a safety than a DE or LB.

[Wilson8]

Starr turning heads at East-West practices

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. | Former University of South Dakota linebacker Tyler Starr is making waves during practice for the annual East-West Shrine football game set for Saturday at Tropicana Field.

At least according to a couple of bloggers on site.

Here's what Kyle Crabbs of NFL Draft Bible had to say about the 6-5, 250-pound Little Rock, Iowa, product:

"I was really impressed with this guy in person. He is simply massive in his frame and looks to have the ability to add on some legitimate girth to his frame. He moved well in linebacker drills and he looked like a WR plucking the football out of the air. I really wish I'd have had the chance to see him with the pads on to see how physically he plays against this level of competition, but there is plenty of football left this week. He gained my attention, however."

Then there's this from Jeff Risdon of detroitlionsdraft.com:

"South Dakota LB Tyler Starr had himself quite an afternoon. Earlier this week I wrote that he was the best athlete of the West LBs and he proved that again. He undercut a route and nearly came up with a diving interception on one rep. On the very next rep, he mirrored Washington QB Keith Price as Price scrambled away from inside pressure. Price opted to try and flip the ball past him, but Starr reached out and made a strong INT. On the very next rep he quickly sniffed out a run and exploded past the blocking to nail the runner with a big thump.

"Starr has proven himself to be rangy, smart and athletic. There's a lot to like from the small school Starr. Okay, I know that was cheesy..."

Starr is playing for the West squad coached by Romeo Crennel against the East team coached by Jerry Glanville.

http://siouxcityjournal.com/blogs/sp...857985d65.html

[Wilson8]

Small school Starr ready to shine at NFL scouting combine

Just how small is the hometown of rising NFL prospect Tyler Starr?

"I think I can name everybody and the street they live on in town," said the University of South Dakota linebacker.

For the record, the population in Starr's hometown is 459. But the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year has put Little Rock, Iowa, on the NFL scouting map. An impressive showing last month at the East-West Shrine Game helped get the 6-foot-4¼, 250-pound linebacker a spot at next week's NFL combine in Indianapolis.

"I like him a lot," said one NFL scout. "He's tall, long and extremely athletic and plays with a high motor. I'd heard some chatter about him this fall and went to see him, and he's way more athletic than I thought he'd be. You still wonder if he has enough power and strength at the point of attack right now to be an every-down guy, but he really has a knack for rushing the passer and he has some real third-down value."

Word is, Starr should turn heads at the combine, not just for the long blonde hair that he hasn't cut since his freshman year at USD. Starr says he hass clocked a three-cone drill time of 6.29 in his training sessions in Tennessee. For comparison's sake, the fastest time in Indy last year was 6.52 by cornerback Will Davis from Utah. Oregon WR Jeff Maehl clocked a 6.42 in 2011, which the NFL considers its recent best. The fastest time by a linebacker last year was 6.71 by Mizzou's Zavier Gooden.

"I think I can blow that drill out of the water," Starr told CBSSports.com on Tuesday night. Even if he's anywhere near that mark, his stock should continue to rise.

"Tyler's mobility for his size is unbelievable," said Scott Reall at D1 Sports Training in Tennessee, who has worked with Starr the past two months. "Once I've been able to teach him proper technique and steps, he's been brushing all-time records in the [three-cone] L-drill. His ability to explode off a change of direction and not lose a lot of time is remarkable. He is just so explosive. The first time everybody saw it here, people were like 'Holy crap!'"

Reall, who is also training more than a dozen other football players including guys from the SEC and Big Ten, says Starr's 6.29 time is legit.

"I timed it myself twice, and also had another coach time it and he hit the same number."

There had been some concerns about whether Starr's shoulders are 100 percent healthy, but Reall says that talk is overblown. "He's got full range of motion and when people see him bench 225 [pounds] 25 to 30 times, they'll know."

It's a pretty amazing ride for a player who said he didn't have any direction coming out of high school as a self-described bad student. Starr's range and athleticism as a 6-4, 195-pound high school junior drew some interest from Iowa State after he attended a Cyclones camp, but his grades turned the ISU staff off.

"I didn't really have the core GPA," Starr says. "USD was the only 1-AA that put effort in getting me into school."

That effort and the school's patience had paid off. After two years at USD, where he had more struggles academically early on, Starr had a breakout season in 2011 with 14 sacks. He started the year with a bang, making seven tackles, a sack and forcing three fumbles in the opener against Air Force. So, what changed for him? Well, everything.

In May 2011, Starr became a dad. His son Hunter was born. All of a sudden, he felt a powerful sense of responsibility and purpose.

"It was like a 180-degree turn," he said. "Everything I did was so selfish before. Now, it's about being a role model for my son and for my family. Every decision that I make will reflect that because of this blessing that came into my life."

After the Shrine game, he also proposed to his now-fiancee.

Starr knows there is skepticism from some since he didn't play at the FBS level, but he has been impressive when he has played against 1-A opponents. In addition to his showing against Air Force, Starr was all over the field in 2012 against Northwestern, when he made 11 tackles, a sack and a TFL. This season against Kansas, Starr had two sacks, a QB hurry, a forced fumble and broke up a pass.

Starr, who likes to pattern his game after the pass-rush styles of DeMarcus Ware and Aldon Smith as well as the effort level of Ray Lewis and J.J. Watt, says his confidence has grown after his week at the East-West Shrine Game.

"I knew that there was a doubt factor with some people about whether I could play at that level, so I wanted to show everyone," Starr said. Better still, Starr says was the opportunity to visit children in the hospital in Florida.

"It was such an amazing experience," Starr said. "The kids were having so much fun with us. It brought so much to them. We were like superheroes to them. And to know how they go through all the struggles they have and still be upbeat, it gave me so much perspective. I'd get upset thinking about the things that used to upset me. It was eye-opening."

Now it's Starr's chance to open people's eyes.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoot...at-nfl-combine

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by Wilson8

I am looking forward to see how Tyler Starr does at the NFL combine. He is from Little Rock, Iowa and played college ball at South Dakota. Came into school as a safety but has become a 6'4", 250 lb OLB/DE. Chiefs might be interested in him as an OLB in the 6th round. I watched some videos of East West Shrine game practices and for a big guy, he moves more like a safety than a DE or LB.

Same here, I watched whatever I could find of him on the web and, IMO, he's going to go undrafted or 7th round at best. Too raw and weak at the point of attack for the OLB position in a 3-4 right now. Has a long way to go to develop into a solid NFL player. He really still looks like a Safety trying to play OLB.

On the flip side, he looks like he can be a good coverage LB.

[Wilson8]

You are probably correct with the round. NFLdraftscout.com projects him as a 7th round pick.

I still think he would still be a good choice for the Chiefs with their last 6th round pick.

[RustShack]

Complete NFL Mock Draft - All 7 Rounds - Bear Goggles On - A Chicago Bears Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.
This mock draft has Jeremiah going to San Diego in rd. 6.

"A tackling machine at Iowa St who led the Big12 in tackles (112), George was one of the stars of the Shrine Game practices and showed a more well-rounded skill set than expected. George could provide good depth as a 3-4 ILB and excel on special teams in the short-term. I think he’s underrated and in 2-3 years will be starting in the league."

[Exoter175]

Keeping my eye on four guys today mainly.

C.J. Mosley
James Morris
Shayne Skov
Chris Borland

I feel like Morris and Mosley have the better frames for the ILB position, especially in our system. Mosley obviously is the hands down best ILB prospect in the draft, and I have such a feeling about him, that I'd rather use our #1 pick on him than a WR if available to us. DJ is getting older, and while he's nowhere near retirement age and only getting better with time, this team is in shambles without a #2 ILB, and would suffer immensely should DJ ever get hurt. Bring in a physical guy like Mosley or a natural leader like Morris, and I think we'd be pretty darn solid at the position.

Skov to me represents immense value, I think he's going to fall pretty far in the draft, but I feel like the team that drafts him will get the best bang for the buck in the later rounds out of him.

[planetdoc]

A guy named Waldo created a Pass rushing formula.

Formulas used:
Mass = weight/height
Explosive Power = (vert+3.5*broad)*(weight/height)/3000
Speed 10 = 100*(1-(10 Split/(0.0114*(weight/height)+1.1785)))
Speed 40 = 100*(1-(40 time/(0.0397*(weight/height)+3.092)))
Speed Avg = (Speed 10 + Speed 40)/2
Agility = 100*(1-(3 Cone/(0.0573*(weight/height)+4.8403)))
Twitch = Shuttle - 2*10 yd split - (1.60 - 10 yd split)


Low Risk 1:



This is the other half of the last group, all the guys that both had a score of less than 1.10 in the twitch formula, and had a 3 cone time of under 7.0. Again sorted by draft position.

One thing to take note of is how most of the lesser players are slow. Show up in this group and a guy has a good chance of working out for you. Draft players in this group with confidence.

Low Risk 2:


Every player that scored above a 1.05 in the power formula.

Sort of unbeleivable, isn't it. Maybe Anderson and Barwin will buck the trend and struggle. Maybe Moch will bust.

Draft with confidence in this group.

From the original link, you can find data on 2012 and 2013 players as well. Here is data from the 2014 combine

The players with the highest "power formula" (which are most likely to succeed):
Clowney 1.01
Kareem Martin 1.02
Chris Smith 1.05
Khalil Mack 1.03

[The Franchise]

Brian Johnston and Gabe Miller. Two Chiefs players who had potential but never amounted to shit.

[planetdoc]

yup. Low Risk 2 has a better history of success. Only player from this years draft combine that falls into that category is Chris Smith.

Players from this yrs draft in Low Risk 1 category:
Anthony Barr
Trent Murphy
Tyler Starr

[RunKC]

James Morris is a guy I really want with our last pick. He had 4 INT's last year and is very good in space. He ran a 4.75 40 and was outstanding in the 3 cone and foot drills. Top 5 in both. Extremely quick feet and side-to-side movement.

We need more speed and instincts on defense. This guy could be a similar pick to the Seahawks Malcolm Smith.

[kccrow]

Originally Posted by planetdoc

A guy named Waldo created a Pass rushing formula.

Formulas used:
Mass = weight/height
Explosive Power = (vert+3.5*broad)*(weight/height)/3000
Speed 10 = 100*(1-(10 Split/(0.0114*(weight/height)+1.1785)))
Speed 40 = 100*(1-(40 time/(0.0397*(weight/height)+3.092)))
Speed Avg = (Speed 10 + Speed 40)/2
Agility = 100*(1-(3 Cone/(0.0573*(weight/height)+4.8403)))
Twitch = Shuttle - 2*10 yd split - (1.60 - 10 yd split)


Low Risk 1:



This is the other half of the last group, all the guys that both had a score of less than 1.10 in the twitch formula, and had a 3 cone time of under 7.0. Again sorted by draft position.

One thing to take note of is how most of the lesser players are slow. Show up in this group and a guy has a good chance of working out for you. Draft players in this group with confidence.

Low Risk 2:


Every player that scored above a 1.05 in the power formula.

Sort of unbeleivable, isn't it. Maybe Anderson and Barwin will buck the trend and struggle. Maybe Moch will bust.

Draft with confidence in this group.

From the original link, you can find data on 2012 and 2013 players as well. Here is data from the 2014 combine

The players with the highest "power formula" (which are most likely to succeed):
Clowney 1.01
Kareem Martin 1.02
Chris Smith 1.05
Khalil Mack 1.03

I like his attempt, but it needs work. Twitch, for starters, has a problem right out the gate in that being faster in the 20-yard shuttle brings it down, but being faster in the 10-yard split brings it up.